The writing team of Christina Lauren are the queens of rom-com and I loved their modern, inventive take on the Rapunzel "Tangled" storyline. This is the fourth installment in the "Meant to Be" novel collection that features a variety of authors' modern takes on classic fairytales.

Ren Gylden is a 22 year old woman that has been raised on an Idaho homestead, hidden from society. Her parents, Steve and Gloria, have raised her without modern conveniences. She has been homeschooled and does arduous chores on their working farm.

When Ren applies to Corona College and is accepted, she is thrilled beyond belief. Her parents reluctantly agree to let her go but not without stringent rules and regulations that limit her use of technology, her personal time, and her weekends that will be spent exclusively at home with them.

At Corona College, Ren is jubilant about the beautiful campus, the chance to learn in classrooms with professors, and the ability to interact with fellow students.

When she is paired with hot boy on campus Fitz, she is warned about his womanizing ways. However, despite the warnings, Ren is drawn to Fitz.

When a DNA test in class reveals results that send Ren's whole life into turmoil she turns to Fitz for help. Fitz is grappling with his own fall-out from the DNA test that impacts his personal future. When this unlikely pair comes together for a road trip, both of their lives will be changed forever.

I loved the twists and turns of the story that definitely yielded some true surprises. Ren and Fitz's chemistry and enemies to lovers trope also brought the heat to this story. I love fairy tale adaptations and this was definitely one of the most fun and creative novels I've read on this subject.

This was a cute retelling! I loved this modern day twist on Tangled! This definitely gave the Disney type vibes, the nearly instant love and the precious ending.

Let me start by saying, I love Disney's Tangled. I've seen it a dozen times and I could watch it over and over again. So it's safe to say that I knew I would like Tangled Up In You. I really appreciated how Christina Lauren brought Ren and Fitz from screen to the book pages while staying true to the original on-screen characters. Because I've seen the movie so many times, i knew the basic plot of the book but I enjoyed how modern elements were weaved in throughout the story. Tangled Up In You makes me want to read the rest of the Meant to Be series!

This was a very enjoyable retelling of Tangled (Repunzel). If you liked the movie, you’ll enjoy this book. You really can’t go wrong with anything written by Christina Lauren.

I received an ARC from netgalley and the publisher.

3.5 shining stars ✨
I saw this cover & the authors and JUMPED for the opportunity to read this early!

I loved this author duo take on a Tangled retelling - it was actually pretty true to the original story and Ren & Fitz were delightful☺️

My main reason for knocking off a star and a half is that it is a very clean very YA story which was great for the story but not personally my favorite. HOWEVER, the tropes were great! A bit of suspense & forced proximity.

Overall I would recommend! Just don’t do what I did and expect this to be a NA or adult 🫶🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this e-ARC!

This was the fourth book in the Meant to Be series, Disney movies remade into modern romances. I'm a big fan of Christina Lauren, so even though Tangled is not my favorite Disney story, I was excited to read this one.

I enjoyed the premise and how they adopted the story to make it believable. I liked the chemistry between Ren and Fitz, and I found the slow burn to be a perfect adaptation. I also enjoyed the ending!

Overall, I definitely suggest this one if you liked Tangled or have enjoyed other books in this series!

I don’t have kids and I’m not a Disney Adult, so I don’t watch many cartoons anymore, but Tangled is one of the more modern ones I’ve seen and enjoyed. When I saw that Tangled Up in You was a loose re-telling of the movie AND it was written by Christina Lauren, I knew I had to read it.

While I did like the movie, it had been a while since I’ve seen it, so I decided to watch it when I started reading this. I’m glad I did because I probably would have overlooked some of the fun references and related plot points without it. It’s a book that you don’t have to have seen the movie to enjoy, but I think it’s also something Tangled fans will like all the more.

Ren is a 22-year-old woman who has grown up on an isolated farmstead and has finally convinced her parents to let her go to college. While she’s never owned a cell phone or used Amazon, she has had access to books and older movies and makes weekly trips into town, so she’s not completely unaware of the outside world. Her innocence and naivete about it, though, first confuses and then endears her classmates and she’s quickly beloved by everyone on campus. Everyone but Fitz, though, who is afraid she can see through his fake persona and also threaten his record of being the top of every class. When a DNA test in one of those classes brings back an unexpected result for Ren, she capitalizes on catching Fitz in a compromising position to make him take her with him on a road trip across the country.

The story was sweet, if a little cheesy and over the top at times. I believe this is supposed to technically be an Adult book, but with the college aged main characters and the heavy themes surrounding parental relationships, it definitely read more like YA. That didn’t really bother me, though. This author duo is well known for their rather spicy scenes, but the romance here definitely stayed in the sweet category, which is what I generally prefer to read.

Overall, Tangled Up in You was a cute, quick read. Ren and Fitz were both likable characters and I shipped their romance. I didn’t always feel like Ren’s characterization was very consistent, though, and some of the things towards the end seemed a little over the top. However, it was still a fun read and I think fans of re-tellings will enjoy it.

3.5 Stars

TANGLED UP IN YOU is the latest in the Meant To Be series which are Disney retellings. I had high hopes for this play on Tangled by the dynamic duo - Christina Lauren - but this one fell wayyyy flat for me and didn’t feel like their typical writing.

My thoughts:
-forced proximity/one bed
-road trip
-grumpy x sunshine
-not much banter
-weird/odd scenes that felt out of place

I get that the MC mimics Rapunzel so there is a naiveté to her, but this characteristic was over the top and obnoxious to me. It almost read more like a YA and unfortunately just wasn’t for me.

Tangled Up In You
(Meant to Be, #4)
Christina Lauren
Pub: 6/25/24
4.5☆

She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith.

This was so stinkin cute and so much fun to read! I haven’t seen the movie Tangled (moving up on watch list), so while I can’t say how it compared to the film, I can say it lived up to the hype for me. Not that I was shocked coming from my favorite author duo, Christina Lauren. They can do no wrong in my book, and theirs. 🥰

I love road trip romances and Tangled Up In You had me laughing, smiling, and swooning. We even get a bit of suspense added into the mix, which I loved. I adored Fitz and Ren. Her naivety and smarts had me cracking up, and I loved watching her sunshine personality break down his grumpy exterior as this heartwarming, slow-burn romance unfolds.

Read if you enjoy;
💫 Disney Reimagining’s
💫 Opposites Attract
💫 Forced Proximity
💫 Road Trips

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my honest review.

Ren has lived a VERY sheltered life on an off-the-grid farm in Idaho. She's 22 and she's never stepped foot in a school or used the internet or even eaten a burrito, though she has read a lot, and taught herself multiple languages and high-level STEM concepts. So when she heads to college, she's naïve but excited, despite the strict rules her parents have laid out. One of the first people she meets is Fitz, a charming and good-looking senior who seemingly has it all — a perfect academic record, a rich family, and a reputation as a fun-loving ladies' man. But Ren's academic prowess threatens Fitz's plans, and when a class project leads to a shocking discovery for Ren, the pair find themselves thrown together on a cross-country road trip.

OK, there's the summary. The easier way to describe this book, however, is as Tangled fanfic set in modern-day America. The whole story is there, down to our heroine's affinity for animals and specific plot points from the animated Disney movie. And if that's what you're looking for, that's great. I wasn't particularly looking for that (I went into it thinking it was more of a Rapunzel-based story than a retelling of a Disney movie), so I was a bit disappointed, as I wanted slightly more original and three-dimensional characters. But aside from some quibbles about the road trip (that first leg where they left at 6 a.m. was only a three-hour drive and included no sightseeing, yet they arrived at dinnertime?), the book was fine. Nothing to write home about, but also a quick easy read.

4.75 🌟’s

This book follows along with a very sheltered fmc who has grown up in a no technology off grid lifestyle. She convinces her family to let her attend a collage and then begins her journey toward a cross country road trip with an attractive boy from her new school

I am typically not a fan of the “born yesterday” or naive style of female characters and I was worried when I first started this book that maybe that was the direction it was headed however I absolutely loved Ren and this book was so charming and a perfect rendition of Tangled or Rapunzel !

I am so incredibly grateful that Netgally sent me this Arc, I can not wait for this book to release this summer and watch everyone else fall in love with these characters

Ren, a 23 year old freshman in college has never been exposed to the real world, she has never left her families homestead. So to say she is naïve is an understatement. She is brilliant and captivates her fellow college classmates with her intelligence and wit. Everyone that is except Fitz.
An unplanned road trip the week before spring break with Fitz makes for a fun and exciting adventure for both. Fitz has a whole range of emotions from annoyance to friendship to budding romance as they head off on their adventure.
The book is swoony and sweet. There is romance and intrigue that will make you laugh out loud and feel a bit sad as the adventure unfolds. Told with all the flair and romance of a typical Christina Lauren book this is a must read for anyone looking for that Disney magic. It is quick and engaging retelling of Tangled.
I highly recommend this one!
Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Adventure for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Christina Lauren knew that people would eat this strangled retelling up when they wrote this! Let me tell you when I say I FLEW through this one, I AM NOT JOKING!! I think everyone is going to love this one when it gets released.

Just as cute as the rest of the books in this series🩷

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🎀 Tangled Retelling
🫶🏻 Forced Proximity
🚗 Road Trip
☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine

💫it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to rate this because it reads very YA. Once I started to think of this of a YA romance and not an adult romance, I landed on four stars💫

If you’re looking for a Disney movie in book form, this is the one you must pick up! This is a cute and bingeable retelling of Tangled that has zero spice but lots of charm.

Ren has all the charisma and lovability like Kimmy Schmidt and Fitz has that mysterious vibe. He has a reputation but is it really the truth??

While Ren and Fitz embark on their road trip, there are multiple fun scenarios that they get themselves into which kept me super interested, laughing out loud and wanting to finish reading in one sitting.

Even though I love my books spicy, this sweet and swoony retelling (with only kissing!) made my day brighter and left me with smiling.

This was cute and predictable in the best way. It was my first experience with a Disney retelling and I loved how the authors adapted the story to a modern world.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue & NetGalley for the ARC.

This book followed the similar path of the movie and had easter eggs, which are alway enjoyable to find. Some of them were clever. Loved the dual POV.

It was fascinating to see Ren take every moment and all her excitement while she experienced things for the first time.

Fitz had the charm just like Flynn Rider. It was interesting seeing him a college setting. But it worked for him.

If you loved Tangled, just note there should be some content warnings because since story is based in a modern day setting. Some of the story made it seem like true crime.

ARC gifted by NetGalley.

This was such a fun modern twist on Tangled. REN was such a fun character, her energy was infectious. While Edward started as a little cold but eventually warmed up! This book will make you want to rewatch Tangled!

While i did enjoy this book it took until the 35-40% mark to really get into the story. More sweet than spicy but still a fun Christina Lauren book. I really enjoy their books so it’s exciting to read something different from them!

I think if you love Tangled you will adore this book. If you’ve never seen (or care to see) the movie this might not be your favorite Chrstina Laurens romance, but it is very cute and fun. A quick read that I guarantee will be a huge hit with the right crowd. It's a novel that focuses on friendship, on the blossoming of love. From mild interest, to annoyance, to resignation, to friends and then evil. far far in the future to lovers

3.5 stars ⭐️ It took me a while to connect to the characters in this retelling of Disney’s Tangled and I found myself a little bored with the story. Since I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren, I kept with it and I’m so glad I did. Wowza - the last 20% or so- I could not put it down.

This is another fantastic book by Cristina Lauren! So, so good! It felt very much like a Hallmark version of the movie Tangled and I am not complaining about that! Ren is an interesting character from the beginning. I enjoyed getting to her from the start because he upbringing is so unusual, sheltered but somehow the simplicity feels right for her. Her arrival to college was laugh out loud funny and, maybe predictable but still exciting, she quickly meets Fitz and, thanks to an immunology seminar, they go on road trip that is the beginning of what becomes a fairy tale love story. I loved the chemistry between the two characters and found myself rooting for them (especially Ren!) from the beginning. I don't know how this writing duo continues to come up with great book after great book, but they do! And I always look forward to reading them!